MassDOT, State Police, and AAA Remind Motorists to Slow Down in Work Zones

01:15PM / Saturday, April 19, 2025Print Story | Email Story

BOSTON — Ahead of National Work Zone Awareness Week and as construction season gets underway, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), Massachusetts State Police, and AAA are reminding motorists to exercise caution when passing through active construction and maintenance projects.

This includes following traffic laws, reducing speed as indicated by signage and as necessary to prevent a crash, and remaining alert when passing through active construction and maintenance projects.

National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) is an annual event that brings attention to work zone safety and education around preventing crashes and fatalities in these areas. MassDOT promotes work zone safety throughout the year, to help protect the men and women who work on the roads.

"Here in Massachusetts and across the country, construction workers risk their lives every day to build and maintain the roads we all rely on," said Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt. "We owe it to them—and their families—to do our part. When driving through a work zone, slow down, stay alert, and be aware of your surroundings. Protecting workers from injury or tragedy isn't just a seasonal responsibility—it's something we all must commit to, every time we get behind the wheel."

Contractors involved in road projects in the United States report frequent crashes in work zones. Sixty-four percent of highway contractors report that motor vehicles had crashed into their construction work zones during the past year, putting motorists and workers at risk, according to the results of a highway work zone study released in May of 2024 and conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America and HCSS.

Meanwhile, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA's) Fatality and Injury Reporting System Tool (FIRST), 4,319 people were killed in work zone crashes in the United States between 2018 and 2022. The number of work zone fatalities has grown from 757 fatalities in 2018 to 891 in 2022, an 18 percent increase.

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Pittsfield Council Revisiting DEI Office Rename

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
04:11PM / Tuesday, October 13, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The conversation about the DEI office renaming that was halted by a charter objection will resume on Tuesday.

The City Council will discuss a request from Mayor Peter Marchetti to rename the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

It proposes to rename the DEI office to the Office of Equity, Access, and Opportunity and merge the Human Rights Commission and Affirmative Action Committee into an Equity, Access and Opportunity Commission.

The Ordinance and Rules Subcommittee supported the changes in August, and in September, Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham delayed the vote with a charter objection.

Pittsfield's City Code prohibits charter states that "if a single member present objects to the taking of the vote, the vote shall be postponed until the next meeting of the city council." It also stipulates that at least four members must object if it is an emergency measure.

Cunningham also submitted a petition, which was referred to O&R under Rule 27, to replace the DEI Office and the Human Rights Commission with an equity, access, and opportunity coordinator in the Department of Community Development, with formal complaints and Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action functions assigned to Human Resources.

At the last meeting, he spent more than an hour querying the mayor and chief diversity officer about functions and effectiveness of the department, wanting more quantitative data. Cunningham proposed an ordinance that he says keeps Pittsfield's commitment to equity, access, and opportunity, "refocuses it on measurable results for our residents, and delivers it at a fraction of the current cost."

Under this petition, the equity, access, and opportunity coordinator would be a $60,000 to $80,000 per year position.

The DEI Office's fiscal year 2027 budget was about $200,000 after cuts during budget season; $106,700 for the chief diversity officer and $58,000 for the administrative assistant. The coordinator would be appointed by the director of community development and the mayor.

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